Certifications

Assessments

+ Functional Movement Assessment

A Functional Movement Assessment is a series of 7 mobility “tests” which identify asymmetries and limitations in the body. It captures fundamental movements, motor control within movement patterns, and your competence of basic movements uncomplicated by specific skills you may have.

These tests require a balance of mobility and stability and its usefulness is in its simplicity, practicality, and ability to discover problematic movement patterns. Many people are able to perform a wide range of activities, yet are unable to efficiently execute the movements in the screen. Those who are using compensatory movement patterns during regular activities will develop poor biomechanics that may contribute to a future injury. The FMS test will identify the priorities we will focus on throughout your personal training sessions to develop new movement patterns that will greatly assist in the prevention of injury, and will improve the health and symmetry in your body.

For your FMS test you will arrive without warming up in advance. It will take approximately 30 minutes and cannot be prepared for or practiced. You will wear the shoes you would normally wear for exercise, and comfortable clothing. It does not require any cardiovascular testing, as it is solely focused on movement patterns and is not a test of your cardiovascular health. The test will be repeated periodically throughout your training sessions for continued growth and improvements. It is a friendly test and while it will highlight any weaknesses you may have, it is not aimed to criticize you for living life in a modern world! Rather, we will identify how you can better move within it!

+ Nutrition Consultation

If you are seeking guidance regarding your daily nutrition intake, and a plan that will compliment a fitness program, I offer nutrition consultation as part of your fitness sessions. This consultation will be a component of your one hour session, or may utilize an entire session if you are in need of something more detailed. You are in charge of how we invest our time together.

Many of my clients will choose to keep a detailed nutrition journal, that I will review and thereafter offer feedback and suggestions for improvement.

Currently, I am in the process of completing my Precision Nutrition Level 1 certification, which is providing me with in depth knowledge of how the body works, nutritional issues, physiological considerations, and troubleshooting diet related questions using real life coaching principals.

Previously, I have completed a nutrition and wellness course that has guided me on a sensible approach to food intake, free of fad diets and extremist food restrictions. My goal is to support your nutrition journey with a kind and gentle approach that takes into account your history and provides you with the tools to make gradual changes over the course of months and years, instead of a temporary fix.

Since nutrition and fitness go hand in hand, let’s get the most out of your fitness efforts by working to create lifelong nutrition habits that are simple and sustainable.

Certifications

+ StrongFirst Kettlebell Instructor SFG I Certified

I am one of only 80 StrongFirst Kettlebell instructors in Canada. The SFG program was developed and refined by StrongFirst Founder and Chairman, Pavel Tsatsouline. The SFG is the most sought-after and respected kettlebell instructor credential in existence.

+ Functional Movement Screen Level 1 And Level 2

The Functional Moment Certification focuses on the fundamentals of movement, identifying imbalances, limitations and weaknesses, and improving fundamental movement patterns with simple corrective exercises to reduce the potential for training injuries.

+ 500 Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Hours

The fundamentals of yoga 200 hour course includes functional anatomy including how to read the physical and subtle body, yoga history and philosophy, and the eight limbs of yoga. I completed this course in Toronto from Yoga Space with Patricia White, Kathryn Beet and Hali Swartz. Following this 200 hour course, I completed the “Art of Hands on Adjustment” 100 hour course led by Ron Reid at the Downward Dog in Toronto. This grew my self-practice in the Mysore style and hands on assisting practice through hours of assisting classes at Downward Dog in Toronto. In 2015 I travelled to a small town in Costa Rica for the “Art of Exploration” teacher training course with Ron Reid and Marla Meenakshi for 65 hours of study and exploration of the Ashtanga Yoga Vinyasa System, Primary and Secondary Series. Since moving to Saskatoon I have studied with Srivatsa Ramaswami in the Vinyasa Krama Style of Yoga, and completed the Vinyasa Yoga for Youth Course with Kristine Divall and Lauren Scruton. I have complimented this instruction with 35 more hours of courses focused on meditation, restorative yoga, traditional chanting, Sanskrit, as well as unique intensives led by the Yoga Detour in Toronto.

+ Agatsu Upper Body Mobility Level 1 Certified

This course is like none other, and leads the way in redefining exercise, movement, and how to train the human body. With the simple idea that we must first learn to master our own bodies before we can learn to overcome the resistance offered by weights, the Agatsu Joint Mobility and Movement course was born. This course expanded my awareness of how to train a stronger and more resilient body, how to bullet proof the body through joint mobility and joint preparation training, and to safely and incrementally train in positions of disadvantage to gain greater stability within joints. There was a focus on understanding and creating a sound pre-workout joint mobility warm-up and post training stretching with self massage practice and techniques as well as gymnastics basic movements, rolling, falling, balance, and advanced movement progressions.

+ Can Fit Pro Personal Trainer Specialist

Can-Fit Pro got me started on my journey. Back in music school I got certified through Can Fit Pro to teach aerobics, step and strength classes. Once I decided to become a personal trainer, I found Oonagh Duncan, a fellow artist turned trainer, who graduated me from her course. With an emphasis on training individual clients as well as small groups, this course provided me with basic training principles, fitness theory: skeletal, muscular, neurological, cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. Aspects of fitness, wellness, exercise physiology and bioenergetics were all covered in this course, and led me to further study of the human body.

+ Can Fit Pro Nutrition And Wellness Specialist

This course provided me with a deeper understanding of nutrition principals and debunking nutrition myths. Many Canadians are searching for weight management solutions and better information about good nutrition, but there is growing confusion. This course was aimed at these concerns and integrated stress management, lifestyle consulting and in-depth information on nutrition, micro and macronutrients, mind body and spirit wellness, and practical weight management solutions.

+ Bellies Inc. Pre And Post Natal Certification

Bellies Inc. was founded in 2010 by 3 moms working independently in Pre/Post Natal Fitness and Physiotherapy who had visions of more effective and innovative strategies for core health and wellness in pregnancy and for new moms. Kim Vopni, Julia Di Paolo and Samantha Montpetit-Huynh (the founders) are passionate about improving prenatal and postpartum health and fitness and they have compiled their personal stories, their professional experience as well as the most current scientific research into an innovative program that helps prepare the core for birth and how to optimize postpartum healing.

+ Precision Nutrition Certification

The Precision Nutrition Certification includes two main components — the science of nutrition, and the art of coaching. Comprehensive and detailed, thorough and systematic, this approach to behavioural change is regarded as one of the best nutrition courses online. I am currently completing my certification for this course but once complete, I will be qualified to coach, mentor, and ensure clients are on track with individualized nutrition choices.